DGAP Events

Overview of DGAP Events

Members of the German Council on Foregin Relations can hear renowned experts discuss the key questions and prevailing topics of foreign policy at the DGAP on a regular basis. Below is a listing of upcoming and recent events taking place within the framework of the DGAP's Council. Additional events at the DGAP are organized within the framework of the Research Institute and can be viewed here.

Röttgen, who chairs the Bundestag’s committee on foreign relations, identified three major upheavals that are threatening stability in the world today: the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the collapse of states in North Africa, and the internal erosion of EU unity. These are the greatest challenges for German – and European – foreign policy, said the CDU politician. His speech was given to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the DGAP. Audio file below (in German).

Prime Minister Milo Đukanović of Montenegro addressed the DGAP on May 7. Since its successful referendum for independence of 2006, Montenegro has sought to establish itself as an independent state in the Western Balkans. Its efforts to obtain membership in NATO and the EU show its clearly pro-European orientation. What does the country hope for in terms of Euro-Atlantic integration? What problems are to be encountered along the way? A short interview.

Celebration marks the DGAP’s 60th anniversary and the conclusion of the Foreign Ministry’s “Review 2014” project

25/02/2015 | 18:00 - 20:00 | Auswärtiges Amt | German Foreign Policy

Last year Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier launched an extensive review of German foreign policy, inviting scores of political observers and commentators to offer their input. He presented the results at the foreign ministry in an official ceremony to celebrate the DGAP’s 60th anniversary. The occasion could not be more fitting, he said, since the DGAP, too, has worked for 60 years in pursuit of the same ideal: a fresh look at German foreign policy

Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kiev and former boxing champion, pleads for greater German and European support for Ukraine

30/01/2015 | 16:30 - 18:00 | DGAP | Ukraine

“As an athlete, I know that you can’t win without a fight. We are fighting for our country,” Vitali Klitschko told a group of 230 guests at the DGAP on January 30. Ukraine needs to intensify its orientation toward Europe. It needs European expertise, technology, good practices, and above all, financial support. So Kiev’s current mayor and head of the pro-European, anti-corruption party Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR) is lobbying for more support from the EU and from Germany.

Prime Minister Yatsenyuk’s keynote address in January at the DGAP stressed the importance of EU support for Ukraine

08/01/2015 | 10:00 - 01:00 | DGAP

Addressing the Council shortly before his meeting with Chancellor Merkel on January 8, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk of Ukraine described Ukraine’s current troubling foreign policy situation and answered questions that ranged from the country’s internal processes of political and economic reform to whether Ukraine aspired to NATO membership. He was joined by Aivaras Abromavicius, the minister of economic development and trade, and Andriy Kobolyev, CEO of Naftogas.

Gabriel’s ministry is responsible in the federal government for authorizing exports of military equipment. In his keynote speech on the guiding principles of Germany’s arms exports policy, he made clear that matters of foreign policy and security must take precedence over the interests of the defense industry.

At a time of proliferating crisis situations – such as Iraq, Syria, and the wider Middle East – serious questions about the effectiveness of international law and its institutions are being raised. The most fundamental norms relating to humanitarian law, the use of force by states, and the territorial integrity of states are being put under intense pressure. What should be done to energize international institutions, above all the United Nations, in an effort to secure a more stable international order for the future?

The top candidates in this May's European elections should be doing more than just running on behalf of their own parties, said Foreign Minister Zaorálek during his talk at the DGAP. They must initiate a far-reaching discussion about the future of the European Union. Zaorálek, who took up his post this January, stressed that the Czech administration is in favor of encouraging mutual trust among all European actors. Speech (in English) available in the link below.

Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, continues his country’s ongoing communication campaign. After speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he stopped by the DGAP on February 3, to give a speech and answer questions from the audience. Zarif sought to parry concerns about his country’s nuclear activities, stating that nuclear arms would not be in Iran’s interest. Quite the contrary, they would undermine Iran’s security and its role in the region.

President Atifete Jahjaga describes how Kosovo is moving closer to the EU and her country’s dialogue with Serbia

24/10/2013 | 18:30 - 20:00 | DGAP | Kosovo, Enlargement Process

President Jahjaga emphasized Kosovo’s desire to join the EU: “Our identity is European.” Indeed, the membership route is the only feasible option for the young country’s future development. To this end, Kosovars are in the midst of extensive reform efforts. In her speech at the DGAP, and in discussion with Paul Freiherr von Maltzahn and guests, Jahjaga urged the EU to loosen its visa policy. She also called on Serbia to buttress the dialogue it began with Kosovo in 2011 with concrete action.

Is the West in the process of redefining itself, or is “the West” becoming an obsolete category altogether? A debate at the DGAP

18/09/2013 | 18:00 - 19:30 | DGAP | Syria, Security

Civil war has been tearing Syria apart for more than two years, and a way out is still not in sight. The precarious humanitarian situation, the high number of refugees, and the chemical weapons attack in June all cry out for a response on the part of the international community. Josef Janning, Henning Riecke, and Eberhard Sandschneider joined members of the DGAP for a fireside conversation about the international community’s response to the conflict and the role the West should play in it.

G. L. Peiris, Sri Lanka’s minister of external affairs, brought an upbeat message to Berlin. But what of the demons?

14/06/2013 | 08:30 - 10:00 | DGAP | Sri Lanka

With 30 years of bloody civil war officially over, Sri Lankans are more than ready to eliminate the negative, says G.L. Peiris, Sri Lanka’s minister of external affairs. His speech focused on the nation’s economic resurgence, its desire to open out to the world, and the government’s work to resettle displaced persons and rebuild infrastructure in the shattered north. But, as he himself admits, the “sensitive and delicate” process of Tamil-Sinhalese reconciliation is far from complete.